Reluctance
by Purple Pirate Lex
Summary: Two hearts on the Bebop crew feel a magnetic attraction, but what happens when they're confronted with their true feelings? It's an enthralling episode on the Bebop when lovers collide. Post tRFB
1. Gotcha!

**Reluctance**

**_Disclaimer:_ The characters presented in this narrative are not owned by me, but are copywritten trademarks of Sunrise, (except for the character of Jim Seabourne, created by me). _Author's note:_ This fic is an extremely sour lemon! If you are offended by tasteful, tactfully detailed, enticing sex, I'd suggest turning back now. Please Enjoy!**

**Gotcha!**

"We got a head over near Jupiter, Spike." A surly Jet Black spoke over his shoulder to his companion from an illuminated computer screen.

"Hm?" Spike inquired.

"Name's James Seabourne; they call him Gumbo Jimbo." Spike, having removed his long, lanky legs from the coffee table, walked over to where Jet sat. He ran a hand through his thick hair.

"4,000,000 wulongs, huh? This guy doesn't look like much of a threat." Spike studied the photo identification of the convict on the screen. A grungy, heavy man stared back at him with a toothpick dangling from the side of his mouth.

"Charged with masquerading as a mechanic and stealing parts of ships right out from under the client's noses," informed Jet.

"Is that all?" Spike answered with a sarcastic bite.

"You were expecting a mass murderer?" Jet replied dryly. Just then the voice of Faye Valentine could be heard echoing the length of the hall.

"Hey! Don't we have anything to eat around here?" she shouted rounding the bend.

"Oh, look who's up! Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," Spike teased. Ignoring his banter, Faye squeezed in between the two men.

"Oh, you guys found a bounty for me! How thoughtful!" She leaned onto Jet's shoulder, examining the screen. Spike rolled his auburn eyes.

"How would you survive without us?" he mused under his breath.

"Ya know, it wouldn't kill you to be nice to me for once," Faye said in a sultry voice.

"Just like it wouldn't kill you to find your own bounty!" Spike answered, getting a little aggravated.

"Now, settle down, kids," Jet mediated jestingly. "Why don't we try something different this time and actually _share_ the bounty, huh? Seem fair?" Spike and Faye did not look amused. Jet gave a defeated sigh. "It was worth a shot," he said, more to himself than to the others. For the most part, they did go after larger bounties together, but it wasn't unusual for someone to go after the small fries alone. Slowly, Spike lowered himself to Jet's ear level.

"It's in the bag," he whispered. With that, he hurried off to the bowels of the Bebop. Faye watched him leave, feeling defeated. She knew Spike just about always got his man.

"4 million wulongs? That's chump change. I can't hunt on an empty stomach anyway," she said to Jet confidently as Ein, the Bebop's resident pet, waddled by. The Welsh Corgi looked up at the disgruntled Faye with a look that seemed almost mockingly. "As for food, I'm not so out of luck!" Faye said, glaring hungrily at the small dog. Ein gave a yelp as he began bounding away from the beautiful psychopath.

_A grungy, heavy man with a toothpick dangling from the side of his mouth walked around to the side of the Swordfish II wiping his hands on a filthy grease rag. A friendly smile occupied his face. "What can I do for ya, Mac?" he asked jovially._

_"How 'bout a refund, Jim?" came a smooth and deep voice._

_"Huh?" The jovial smile transformed into a look of fear and suspicion, and was quickly met with a threatening glance down the barrel of a sharp handgun._

_"A refund of say… 4 million wulongs."_


	2. Sweet Rescue

Faye lie sprawled out on the couch of the living space feeling excruciatingly bored. Her stomach growled loud enough that she was sure that Jet could hear it from across the room. If sound could travel through space, she was convinced that even Spike would be able to hear it. Ed waltzed around the room balancing her laptop on her head while Ein lie at the foot of the couch, hidden from Faye. "Faye-Faye looks really, really bored!" the rosy-cheeked imp speculated.

"Oh, how can you tell?" Faye replied drowsily.

"Ein says Faye-Faye tried to eat him! That's not good for Ein! Not good for Ed! Not good for Fayeeee!" the child grinned. Jet sat at the table carefully pruning a bonsai tree. He chuckled to himself.

"Good God, I don't need this right now…" Faye whined.

"She's right, you know," Jet chimed in. "Without that dog, who knows where we might end up. He's one smart pup." Faye rolled her eyes.

"That's it! I can't take it anymore! I've got to go get some food!"

"You sure there's no more instant ramen left?" Jet inquired.

"Yeah, unless Spike actually decided to leave some for the rest of us!" Jet helplessly rubbed his bald head. "Uugh! Faye exclaimed. "I'm leaving before I suffer from malnutrition and starve to death!" Ein, disturbed by Faye's yelling, got up and waddled over to where Jet sat pruning.

"She's losing it, Ein." Ein yipped in agreement.

Faye was on her way to the door when it suddenly opened. There stood Spike Spiegel with a large paper bag in his arms. "Going somewhere?" He looked down at the eager Faye.

"Spike! What a pleasant surprise!" Faye said with mock excitement, taking the bag promptly from him and wandering off to the table with it.

"Whadja get this time?" Jet asked, looking through the bag. "What? More instant ramen?" Spike casually looked up at the stupefied Jet. "Wasn't it you who said a man can't live on this stuff alone? Where's all that protein you wanted so much?"

"Chill out, I got some beef and poultry too. I figured you'd like to have something to cook," he answered, with a friendly smirk.

"He _does_ have a heart," Jet mumbled. Just then Ed came gliding into the room, her computing goggles pushed up into her orange hair.

"Yay! Yay! Yay! Spike-person brought us food, Ein!" The girl picked out a pepper and twirled around the room with it. Ein barked for joy, shuffling after her.

"Ooh! Chocolate!" Faye exclaimed, pulling a box of chocolate out of the bag. "My favorite!"

"I guess I'd be willing to share my chocolate with you, Faye," Spike said teasingly.

"_Your_ chocolate? I hardly see you eat the stuff!" she accused. "_I'm_ the chocolate lover on this ship" As she said this, Spike casually walked past Faye, snatching the chocolate from her as he went. Faye glared as he reclined with his feet up and popped a chocolate or two into his mouth.

No one spoke much during dinner. The only noise, besides Ed talking to Ein or tapping the keys on her laptop, was the vid screen. The rest of the crew sat lounging on the couch under the slowly revolving ceiling fan. Their silence was randomly interspersed with running commentary on whatever was playing at the time. The blonde and bubbly sidekick on their favorite bounty hunting show, Big Shot, almost always received some left-handed commentary from Faye.

After a while, Faye stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm going to go take a shower. I'll catch you later, boys!"

"See ya, Faye," Jet answered.

"Hey," Spike said, lightly gripping her wrist. She looked at him inquiringly. "Aren't you forgetting something, Faye? After all, I_ did_ just save you from near starvation."

"Oh yeah!" she exclaimed. "Gimme a piece of chocolate!"

_That's not what I was looking for, but I'll take it,_ Spike thought, reluctantly pouring some chocolates into Faye's waiting hand. Happily Faye popped one past her rouged lips. She leaned in toward him.

"Thanks, Spike!" she said in a warm tone. She smiled then gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. As she turned to leave, she paused, but for only a second. She glanced over her shoulder at Spike with a somewhat bewildered look on her face. _What did I just do?_ She wondered to herself. Spike sat in his original position, facing the vid screen, appearing to have never noticed. _Eh, whatever. He'll probably have forgotten by tomorrow. _As Faye abruptly rushed out of the room, Spike and Jet exchanged glances of shock. But Jet's look soon melted away to one of admiration. He raised an eyebrow toward Spike, who still appeared shocked.

"It's the 'thanks' I was after," he said, "but … where the hell did that kiss come from?"


	3. What Was That?

Faye stood under the spouting showerhead in a cloud of confusion and anger. For some reason, although she was convinced Spike would soon forget, she couldn't stop thinking about what she'd done. _Did I just kiss Spike? _She asked herself._ Why did I do that? _She scrubbed her face with a bubbly soap. _Why would he even care if I had feelings for him? He's still in love with Julia…_ She relaxed for a second, feeling the hot water pour onto her head, through her purple hair and over her scalp. _But I don't have feelings for him,_ she told herself. Contemplatively, she washed her voluptuous body in silence. "It wasn't even a real kiss," she said aloud to herself, turning off the faucet.

Jet reclined comfortably on the sofa as Spike sat quietly on the stairs smoking a cigarette. "Hmph. Look at those two," Jet commented, gesturing toward Ed and Ein. Spike glanced over at the two figures. "They can sleep anywhere." Ed lie curled up in a ball with Ein snuggled in her arms. Spike looked away, with no comment. Jet stood and turned off the vid screen. On his way out, he stopped at the foot of the stairs. Spike looked up into a disappointed, pitying face.

"What? You know I hate animals and kids," he said gruffly. Jet chuckled and shook his hairless head.

"Something's bothering you, Spike. You're not your usual self." Spike, usually having an answer for such a comment, was speechless. "You're thinking about that whole chocolate thing with Faye, huh?" After a long pause Spike responded.

"Maybe." He indifferently exhaled a puff of smoke.

"I thought so," Jet replied. "Well, I guess I won't drill you any more on the subject. You need a little bit of 'you' time. Good night."

"See ya, Jet," Spike answered him absentmindedly. Jet ascended the stairs to his quarters and Spike found himself alone in his thoughts. _Was I really thinking that much about Faye?_ He asked himself. _I guess I have a lot on my mind from time to time. I don't even really remember. _He flicked the ashes off the end of his cigarette and brought it back to his lips. _Ah, who am I kidding? I remember,_ he thought, deciding denial wasn't working.He took a long drag; smoke erupted from his nostrils. _It's not like I have feelings for her or anything. _He glanced again at Ed and Ein, asleep at the foot of the sofa. _It's not like it was even a real kiss, _he thought. Smashing out his cigarette butt into a nearby ashtray, he stood to go to his quarters. As he left, he thought, _Faye has the hots for me, huh… I could have some fun with this. _Hands in his pockets, he ascended the stairs.

The next day, Faye tried to recline in the little yellow chair, feeling somewhat uneasy, while Jet sat calmly at the table. The ship was headed toward Earth for a fuel refill and anything else the crew might need. "Is this whole thing getting to you too, Faye?" Jet asked. He saw that Faye was being more quiet than usual.

"What thing?" Faye said, startled.

"Come on," Jet said, cocking an eyebrow at the woman. "It's not like I wasn't there last night." Faye looked at him as a little girl would look at a disappointed father. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"N-no-nothing," she stammered. "I was just thanking Spike for the chocolate," she said sheepishly. Jet expressed a look of skepticism and turned away. "Do you know how long it's been since I've had some chocolate?" she shouted defensively. Just then, a lethargic Spike entered the room. His disheveled yellow shirt was buttoned loosely, and hardly tucked in.

"Talking about me?" he inquired. Ignoring his question, Faye imposed her own.

"You look like you've had a rough night," she said smirking.

"Yeah; I just couldn't sleep without another kiss," he answered sarcastically. As Faye turned to him angrily, Spike mockingly puckered his lips. She sighed and flicked him her middle finger. "Ouch," Spike said, clutching his chest without feeling.

"Ed saw that! Naughty Faye-Faye!" Edward noodled past the couple carrying her compact computer. Spike shot Faye an I-told-you-so look as he swaggered over to the pantry and removed a cup of instant ramen. Aggravated, Faye decided to lie down on the comfy couch. She covered her eyes with her forearm as Spike sat across from her and ate.

"We're almost to Earth, guys," Jet called to the team. "In about twenty minutes you'll be able to go take care of whatever business you have."

"That's good to hear," Spike said, slurping up the noodles on his chopsticks. Ein waddled past and gave a gleeful bark.

Later that afternoon, the Bebop was restocked and refueled and ready to embark on another journey into space. Spike, just having returned from an escapade on the Swordfish II, casually wandered down the Bebop corridors. Carrying his suit jacket over his shoulder exposing his gun holster, he bumped into Faye, who was coming around a corner. "Oh," said Faye on impact. "Gang way," she said, nonchalantly. Spike smiled down at Faye with an up-to-no-good smile and uttered the words:

"Pucker up." Faye glared at Spike and forcefully shoved him against the wall as she passed. She had had one small slip-up. Was that so wrong? Why was she constantly being teased? Quietly recovering the wind that was knocked out of him, he started again. "Ooh. She likes to play it rough," his deep voice grumbled to her as she walked away.

"Shut up, Spike!" Faye yelled, almost fuming as she angrily stomped down the hallway.


	4. Good Times With Edward

As Faye made her way to her quarters on the ship, she passed the stairs to the living space, inadvertently making herself known. Spike coolly came down the stairs and sat at the table across from where Jet was. "She seems upset," Jet commented as Spike took a seat.

"Yeah, I think I got her back to normal," Spike replied, with a cocky sense of accomplishment. Jet looked up at him.

"That was all you, huh?" he asked. Spike nodded, tossing his jacket over the back of the nearest unoccupied chair. Jet gave a helpless sigh. Spike glanced at him, but thought it best not to respond. He knew Jet tended to have more sympathy toward Faye in general; commentary from him on the subject would not interest Spike in the least. But Jet responded without provocation. "Maybe you should just go easy on her, Spike," he said.

"Why?" Spike asked. "'Cause she's a woman?" Jet blinked. "She asked for it with her 'I can hold my own around here!' and 'Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I can't kick your ass!' 'Blah blah blah!'" he squealed in an imitative voice. Jet looked at Spike sympathetically.

"Women are complicated, that's all," he said.

"Don't I know it," Spike replied. "… I hate women." Jet rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, especially that Julia, huh? She was one to hate," Jet answered.

"She didn't have as much attitude as Faye," he lightly chortled. After a weak smile, Spike's face slowly became solemn as morbid memories of the lovely blonde flooded his memory. Jet shot an apologetic glance in Spike's direction.

Faye sat alone in her room, lying on her bed and gazing up at the ceiling. She wondered how a simple kiss on the cheek could make Spike act so weird and childish to her. He had always teased her, but it had never disturbed her as much as it did now. He usually never stretched it beyond one or two snarky comments. What was making him take to this particular 'mishap' to such an extremity? Abruptly, her thoughts were interrupted by barking and childish laughter. "I'm gonna get you! I'm gonna get you! Run for your life!" sang the melodious voice of Ed, who had been playing games on her computer and needed a 3-dymensional break. Faye got up and flung her door open.

"Hey! Could you guys keep it quiet out here?" she shouted. "…Huh?" She realized that Ein had stopped running and sat on his fluffy bottom facing Faye. "What?" she asked the dog. Ein growled shortly and gave an angry bark.

"Ok, Faye-Faye…" a wobbly voice called from the other side of the door. Faye moved and saw poor Edward had collided with the opening door and was now in a heap on the floor behind it.

"Oh. Sorry, Ed," Faye said sincerely. She motioned to help the child up. "Are you alright?" she asked. Ed rubbed her head.

"Ed will be okey-dokey," she replied. "Is Faye-Faye alright?" Ed asked. Faye seemed confused.

"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You fling doors like that when you're angry grumpy!" Ed sang merrily. A look of sad realization came onto Faye's face.

"Well, you're a girl," Faye said. "I guess I'll tell you."

"Yay!" Ed cheered. "Tell Edward what's bothering you," she said putting a fist to her chin, taking on the role of the Bebop's resident psychiatrist.

"Well, to tell you the truth," Faye began, "it's Spike. You see, I did something weird last night and now he can't leave me alone about it. He keeps poking fun at me and being such an asshole." Ed's eyes widened at the profanity, but Faye was focusing her gaze off to the side. "He's just such a jerk! I mean, can you imagine being teased and tormented every waking moment by some insensitive prick?" Faye paused and looked up at Ed, still wide-eyed. The child's expression quickly neutralized.

"Ed did a fair amount of teasing back on Earth. Heehee!" the child grinned.

"Figures. You two could be related, skinny as you both are," Faye mused. Ed laughed again. Faye's expression changed from sarcastic to warm. Looking at the skinny red-headed girl, she realized that she'd just dumped her burden of thoughts onto a 13-year-old kid. "Hey, Ed," she said. Ed looked at her attentively. "I'm sorry I just spilled this on you like that." Ed smiled acceptingly. "If it isn't any trouble, I'd like for this not to get out to him, ok?"

"You can count on Ed!" Ed sang in salute. Faye laughed.

"Thanks," she said to the kid, roughing up her orange hair. Then she turned and went back in. Faye felt good about having gotten her issues off her chest, but frankly she wished that she had someone else to talk to.


	5. The Cat's Out Of The Bag

Jet and Spike reclined in peace in the living space. Their attention refocused as Ed waltzed by, holding Ein in her arms. "Hey, Ed. What have you been up to?" Jet asked, casually making small talk. Spike carelessly dragged on his cigarette.

"Chit-chat with Faye-Faye," she responded. Jet looked at Spike.

"That's not too unusual," he said, halfway in an aside to Spike. Spike let out a small laugh.

"Talkin' about me?" he randomly guessed. "I thought I felt my ears burning." Ed shifted her eyes and patted Ein's soft fur.

"Edward is not at liberty to say!" she stated officially.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Spike replied. "Lemme guess: I'm an asshole?"

"A jerk?" Jet interjected.

"An insensitive prick?" Spike spoke again. Ed, wondering how the two men could possibly have pinpointed Faye's exact wordings, pointed an angry finger at Spike.

"Ha!" she shouted. "Think you're psychic, huh mister Spike-person?" Spike turned a wide-eyed face toward Jet, who shrugged his shoulders at him in return. "You'll be sorry!" she sang in a dark voice. Then she turned on her heel and walked away. Spike and Jet watched her as she left, dumfounded.

"Kids," said Jet.

"Not much of a 'secret' if you ask me," Spike mumbled. " We all know that Faye never really… favored me much."

"Then what demon could possibly have possessed her to give you that kiss, eh?" Jet stated, thought-provokingly.

"Oh yeah. I almost forgot about that," Spike said with a smirk. "I think I feel like giving her a hard time." Jet shook his head. _There he goes being the bully again,_ he thought.

"Watch your back, Spike," Jet warned, as if Spike were headed off to a potentially dangerous bounty chase. "You never know what anger can do to a woman." Spike stood and put on his jacket, along with a confident smile.

" Don't I always?" he smirked arrogantly. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he walked up the stairs.

As Spike reached the top of the stairwell, Faye had just decided to come out of her room. She stepped out and was face to face with the tall dark and handsome maverick. "Didja miss me?" he said suavely.

"Don't flatter yourself; I got hungry," Faye responded normally.

"Hungry for what?" he asked, stepping closer to her.

" Not you," she answered patronizingly, beginning to walk away.

"You sure about that?" Spike stepped even closer. Faye felt her blood begin to run a little faster, her heart beat stronger.

"Yes, I'm sure, Spike! Now can you move please?" she asked with a sense of urgency. She refused to let him awaken the arousal demon she felt struggling against the oppression.

"Make me," Spike mocked. Just then, Faye shoved Spike against the corridor wall so hard a grunt escaped his lips.

"You asked for it," Faye said in the same mocking tone. Her forearm was pressed up under his chin, pinning him to the wall. As much as he hated to abandon his feelings for his past lover Julia, something about Faye's stubborn aggressiveness flicked a switch in him. His goal was modified. Gasping just enough air, Spike uttered:

"You know you want me, Faye."

"Who'd want you?" Faye responded angrily. " You're a sadistic asshole!" Spike raised an eyebrow, unphased. "I don't know what Julia saw in you…" That last personal bite set Spike into motion. Overpowering her, he furiously shuffled her to the opposite wall, pinning her in place with a strong grip to her chin. Faye was a trifle taken aback. She thought a comment like that would at least shut Spike up for a while, but she hadn't banked on this reaction.

Spike wasn't sure why, but a shot at his personal love life was excruciatingly arousing, particularly coming from Faye. He glared hard into her green eyes, which met his glance with livid defiance. His eyes moved down to her supple lips, disfigured with agony. As he slightly loosened his grip, he watched Faye's lips return to normal. Spike's eyes peered into to hers again, and as his expression softened, he rapidly leaned in and kissed her lips with force. Faye was taken by surprise, but felt herself quickly succumbing to his whim. Her widened eyes slid closed as she returned his rough kiss. Spike's idle hand rose and gripped Faye's breast. Feeling his touch, Faye lifted her arms and forcefully grabbed his waist, pulling him into her. The couple breathed hard in syncopated rhythms as they rigorously groped each other. The hand under Faye's chin pushed up to cup her cheek then shoved its way to the nape of her neck. Faye pulled Spike closer by his broad shoulders. Roughly pushing himself onto Faye, Spike ground his pelvis against her, pinning her even more. His kisses grew deeper and more passionate. Just then, Spike bent down and lifted Faye from the floor. Their lips separated, Faye released an animalistic groan.


	6. Seeing Stars

Spike was a little startled at the sound, and became more aware of his situation, but he did not wish to stop. Thinking quickly, he whisked Faye into her quarters and roughly shoved her against her closed door. Faye released another moan as Spike pushed against her. Her legs were wrapped tightly around Spike's waist as she held a fist full of his hair. Holding her against the door with his lower body muscles, Spike savagely tore into the red shirt she wore. She watched as he flung it onto the floor behind him, then she raced to unfasten his blazer. As she pushed the thick fabric from his shoulders, Spike kissed her neck vigorously. Faye attacked his gun holster and tossed it aside. "Hey," Spike said indignantly. "You threw my Jericho."

"Tough," Faye replied flippantly, kissing his neck. Her careless response only turned Spike on even more. He felt his growing manhood throbbing. Eagerly, he let Faye tear into his shirt. She felt his chest heaving with excitement. Spike released the one provocative, triangular button that held Faye's yellow top in place. Her chest bounced out and was met with his. She squirmed out of the top and let it fall to the floor. Carefully, but rapidly, Spike put Faye down again. They simultaneously unbuttoned each other's pants with savage mannerisms. Faye stepped forward, slowly pushing Spike across the room. Spike cupped her large breasts in his hands as she pushed him, becoming more and more eager to conquer her. Faye strategically stepped out of her boots as she walked. Kissing her became even more difficult as she shrank roughly three inches. Abruptly, Spike felt the bed on the backs of his legs; Faye had nudged him all the way across the room.

"Had enough foreplay?" Spike asked teasingly. Giving Faye no time to reply, he switched positions with her and shoved her onto the bed. His slacks sat ajar at his waist and from which protruded his stiffened member. Silently he wondered how his playful banter had managed to get them this far, but in no time his lust had taken over his mind. Kicking off his shoes and slacks, he quickly mounted her, crawling up the length of her body. Pulling off her hotpants, he positioned himself. With Faye's thighs on top of his, Spike forcefully penetrated her.

"Uhh," Faye moaned as he thrusted. She gripped Spike's wrists tightly as he supported her hips. Faye's panting became verbalized as Spike continued to thrust into her harder and faster. "Uh… ohh… uhh…"

Spike remained quiet, but his countenance gave away his intense pleasure. His eyes squeezed shut as he tightened his jaw. He breathed hard through his teeth. His grip on Faye tightened as his pleasure heightened. He watched as Faye arched her back a little bit on each of his thrusts. Finally, wanting to feel more of her, Spike laid his chest on her soft skin. His elbows firmly anchored on each side, he continued to push himself deeper as he wildly kissed her face and neck. The sudden change of positioning heightened the excitement for Faye. "Ahh!" she shouted, with a pleasurable smile possessing her lips. Spike deeply growled as Faye wrapped her legs around his back, pulling him into a forceful thrust. She grabbed another fistful of Spike's dark, fluffy hair as his lips ravaged her neck. She breathed hard into his ear. "Spike…" she whispered in a delirious slur.

Upon hearing his name, Spike's eyes shot open. Thrusting much less aggressively now, he looked down at Faye. She lay breathing hard, looking up into his dark eyes, her face still wearing an expression of lust. Spike looked her over, as if he were confused. "Don't stop…" he heard Faye's sexy voice imploring of him. In seconds, Spike decided to ignore his strange feeling. He became more in tune with Faye's fingers, running through his hair, arousing the nerves on his neck, dancing along his spine. His eyes eased shut again as he felt her warm insides rub against his swelling phallus. Slowly, he began to pick up his pace again.

Without warning, Spike felt himself being flipped over. The naughty lust returning to his face, he watched as Faye climbed on top of him. Perching on his abs, Faye smirked at Spike. "I got tired of waiting," she said.

"I see that," Spike replied smartly. She leaned forward, brushing Spike's face with her hair. He inhaled the feminine aroma of her soft tresses as she teasingly licked his neck and along his jaw line. Spike felt overwhelmingly aroused; he thrusted into air, yearning for stimulation. As he breathed deeply, Faye moved further up his torso. Hunched over him, she held his face firmly in her hands and gently nibbled at the tip of his defined nose. Keeping herself satisfied, she gently ground her clitoris into his chest. Spike was consumed by her sublime scent. He began to breathe harder; his hands clamped onto Faye's thighs and aggressively moved to her breasts. Faye moaned as her body twisted into his. Spike had no option but to surrender to the erotically physical torment she was putting him through. The air on his moist penis made it grow cool. He thought about how amazing the next penetration would be, submerging it in the warmth of Faye's sweet flesh. Scooting up to Spike's collarbone, Faye moaned with a startled excitement as she pressed herself onto the defined ridge created by his lean frame. She arched her back, her breasts hovering above Spike's head. Spike looked up, inhaling the potent scent of her lust. As Faye gently massaged his earlobes, his eyes rolled back in his head. "Uhhh…" his deep voice murmured quietly. She beamed with pride at how she could take advantage of a man's many erogenous zones.

"So Spike," Faye said smoothly, standing on her knees, her vulva tantalizingly close to his face. "How does it feel to be shamelessly teased and tormented?" Awaiting his answer she felt his warm breath dispersing around the sensitive area. Getting the gist, Spike looked up at Faye; he gazed past all of her womanly body parts and penetratingly into her emerald eyes. His manhood throbbed to the point of pain, but he expertly masked his expression. Slowly, he raised his head. Not breaking their gaze, he placed the tip of his tongue at the base of her outer labia and sluggishly but forcefully glided it up to the top of her clitoris. Maintaining contact, he leisurely encircled it with his lips and gave it a passionate, intoxicating French kiss. Faye threw her head back in ecstasy. He held her up by gripping her buttocks, as she nearly collapsed from the pleasure. Ending with an enthralling touch of suction, Spike eased his head back down to rest on the pillows. Faye exhaled the breath she'd held and sat again on Spike's chest, pulsating with desire. When she looked at him she was met with the same unbreakable gaze.

"Never better," he finally answered, licking his full lips with an arrogant smirk. Faye began to breathe hard, from a mixture of pleasure and anger. Her expression changed from one of ecstasy to that of exasperation. It would take almost every ounce of strength she had to refrain from slapping Spike across his smug face, and she wasted none of it.

_whack_

"Aagh…" Spike whined, holding his face.

"You bastard," she panted, crawling off of him, still throbbing. Quickly getting over the pain, Spike motioned after the angry woman.

"Hey," he said sympathetically. "I'll stop if you stop," he proposed. Something in Spike didn't want to feel Faye's anger, not right now. Suavely he did the best he could to try to dissolve it. He scooted up to her side and placed his long fingers about her chin, but not nearly as rough as he'd done earlier. "I hate doing this by myself", he said provokingly, straddling her lap with long legs. His organ moved as he did, pointing at her as if beseeching of her more pleasure. Easily, he lowered Faye back down onto the mattress. She angrily growled at him, but gave no further protest. Climbing on top of her, he placed his face next to hers. "Deal?" he smooth-talked her. Faye was a bit hesitant to agree, but when she looked into his eyes, which carried an unusual expression, she couldn't help but give in. A smooth kiss from him swayed her decision.

Kissing Faye, Spike gently eased himself into her. Faye, giving in again, placed her hands on his lower back, attempting to push him in deeper. Spike panted slowly into her ear. Rapidly, his thrusting accelerated to a high speed. Faye found it hard not to scratch his back with her nails; the pleasure was too great. Spike winced as he felt her nails scrape at his hide, but ignored it by devouring Faye's neck with rough kisses. He all at once began to moan in his deep, sexy voice when Faye grasped his forest hair yet again. The scratching and pulling was just enough discomfort to pique his pleasure. Finally hearing some pleasurable verbalizations from Spike, Faye began to release her voice as well. Spike inhaled a rapid gasp, a sign that he was near his climax. "Ughh…" he growled.

Faye rolled him over and mounted him again, but this time she impaled herself on him. "Uhh…" she became audible again. Riding him harder and faster, she placed her hands on his chest, giving herself more stability. Reclining, Spike gladly let Faye control him. With his hands on her hips, he pulled for extra force every time she came down. "Uhh… ohh… oh, Spike…" she groaned. "Spike… Spike…" Very much enjoying hearing his name at the top of Faye's lungs now, Spike prompted her to go even harder. "Ohhh…" Faye's voice was getting higher and higher in pitch. Spike felt Faye contract around his member.

"Uhhh," he moaned. He gasped again. Her hands on his shoulders, Faye arched her back.

"Oh god…" Faye panted. "Spike…" Spike pressed his head back onto the pillows with might as Faye sunk onto him. Faye bit down onto her bottom lip, strands of purple hair attaching themselves to her moist face. Spike watched her closely, knowing she was on her way to a climax, ready and waiting.

Faye's body went stiff as the furious surge rushed through her limbs and racked her insides. The powerful orgasm triggered Spike to come soon after. Faye felt his strong ejaculation as his legs stretched as far as they would. Still gripping her hips, Spike's back arched. Faye collapsed onto Spike's chest; she felt his body continue to spasm. She lay panting as Spike came down from his high. Spike's eyes slid closed as he felt himself resting inside her. Their bodies lie limp and powerless on top of one another, motionless until their breathing returned to normal.


	7. More Than A Cat

Faye sluggishly moved a hand to rest on Spike's chest. "Spike…" she whispered. Spike, his eyes still closed, turned his head toward the voice and lifted Faye's chin. He kissed her with such tenderness she wondered how he was capable of such a thing.

"…Julia…" he moaned. Faye sat up and glanced at him, then looked at the wall, feeling hurt. Spike's eyes opened and he sat up too, realizing what he had said. He hung his head, running long fingers through his poufy hair.

"I'm sorry…" he said. " Faye." Faye turned to him and sighed. Spike fearlessly peered into her gemlike orbs with sincerity. Feeling angrily intimidated by his eyes, dark as black coffee, Faye pulled a sheet up to cover her nakedness. She looked down at her hands, her hair falling to shield her eyes.

"No, I understand, Spike." She exhaled. "I know you love Julia…. I knew it all along," she murmured quietly. Spike looked away.

"Julia's dead," he sternly reminded himself, trying to justify his actions. He sighed a deep sigh, looking solemn and contemplative. Faye said nothing. She had forgotten as well. They sat for a short while, their eyes gazing in opposite directions, their hearts pounding with awkward nervousness. Spike rolled out of the bed and grabbed his jacket. Sitting down again he reached into one of its pockets and produced a cigarette. Silently, he offered one to Faye, which she gingerly accepted. Pulling out his lighter, he lit both cigarettes and sat hunched over, his elbows on his knees. Faye crawled over the bed and sat next to him, carelessly dragging with her the sheet she used to cover herself. Her legs sat daintily next to his unruly positioned ones as they indulged in their post-sex cigarettes. Faye sighed a smoky breath and turned to Spike.

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked

"Do I have a choice?" Spike responded back. Faye chuckled.

"Yes," she told him.

"Then, no," Spike resolved. Faye smiled, but was a little disappointed. She understood Spike's love for Julia, but secretly wished he could get over it, although she knew how difficult that could be. The two sat together there in Faye's room, making smoke and small talk.

Jet walked around the Bebop, taking care of procedures as usual. Stepping into his botanical room, he picked up one of his bonsai trees and admired it. He took a seat, deciding which tree to work on next. As he groomed the selected tree, he couldn't help but wonder what Spike was up to. He had been unseen for quite a long time, and Jet didn't believe Faye could tolerate his nonsense for longer than a few minutes at most. He began to think perhaps they might have solved their problem, only he couldn't fathom how. Since when had Spike and Faye ever patched anything up? _I wonder how things are going with those two, _he thought. _It has been pretty quiet for the past two hours._ Jet sat pruning a small tree and dripping onto its roots it's special food. _Then again, Spike probably hopped onto his Swordfish and took off. He's probably all the way to Saturn by now. _Just then, Spike walked past the threshold of Jet's room. Peripherally spotting Jet inside, he invited himself in. "There you are, Spike," Jet said, still focusing on his plant. "I was beginning to think you were dead." Spike chuckled. Jet looked up at Spike and realized his bare chest. "Not only are you alive, but you're naked," Jet continued, returning his eyes to his tree. Spike wore a yellow terrycloth towel around his waist; his hair dripped.

"Felt like taking a shower," he replied coolly.

"For two hours?" Jet inquired.

"Yes, Jet. I just love water so much," Spike replied sarcastically. Jet glanced up at Spike again with a sour expression.

"Gee, if there was a contest for being the best smart-ass, you'd win first prize," Jet stated indignantly.

"I try," said Spike dryly, taking a seat. "So, what about you? Do anything interesting lately?" he asked.

"If by 'lately' you mean in the past two hours, nope. Just the usual," Jet replied. "A few minutes after you left, though, I heard a huge thump. I thought nothing of it. It was probably Faye slamming her door in your face," he chuckled. Spike smiled.

"I guess you could say that," he said casually. Jet looked at Spike curiously. He knew that when Spike spoke vaguely, there was something he wanted to hint at, but was disinclined to spoon-feed to you what it was. Spike had always liked to play mind games with people, and Jet was the only one who was well accustomed to it.

"You know what the noise was?" Jet asked, requiring a little less vagueness.

"Well," Spike said, "it did involve Faye… and a door… and a slam…" A tiny grin crept its way onto Spike's lips. Jet's eyes widened as he suspected the outcome. He furrowed one eyebrow, awaiting the rest of Spike's answer. "… C'mon, Jet," he slyly smirked. Jet nodded in understanding, but knew that with those two, it could have been either an amorous or a violent act; given the smirk, it was most likely the former.

"Wow," he replied, with a smirk of his own. "Sounds like it hurt."

"She didn't think so," Spike answered with a grin. Jet laughed boisterously. He had seen it coming.

"Spike, you dog!" he laughed. Spike looked down, but maintained his expression. As Jet's laughter subsided, he looked at Spike again. "So," Jet began. "How was it?" Spike kept his eyes in his lap.

"It was… strange." He answered. Jet placed his bonsai tree down and picked up another one. He glanced up at the thin man, intrigued.

"I mean…" Spike said thoughtfully, "I just had sex with Faye." He paused. "The last time I had sex… it was with Julia." Jet nodded again.

"I see," he said. Spike continued.

"The first time Faye said my name," he said, looking at Jet, "I thought about her."

"That's not unusual," Jet said. "When we lose someone we love… it's hard to forget them," he said, thinking of a lost love of his own. Making the conversation more light-hearted, Spike spoke again.

"I knew she wanted me," he smiled with accomplishment. Jet chuckled.

"So, you were provoked?" he conjectured. Spike looked up, thinking.

"I think so." Jet smiled and shook his head. "At first, I was just toying with her, but then… something in her just… made me snap." Spike looked absently away.

"Based on interpretation, it could have gone either way," Jet said intelligently. Spike chuckled lightly.

"She wanted me," he restated. "Why else would she have kissed me last night?"

"And you don't want her?" Jet asked. "Why else would you have had _sex_ with the woman?" Spike was at a loss for words again. He sighed and leaned back into his chair.

Looking up at the ceiling, he thought _Jet's right. Maybe I do have feelings for Faye. But… I don't want to._ He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

"I know you, Spike," Jet informed. "I can tell you're falling in love with her."

"You think that's it?" Spike asked. "It's 'love'?"

"It's feelings; it's sentiment, in whatever form it may come for you."

"Hm," Spike said, his chin on his fist.

"It's not impossible for you to love again, Spike. Remember that freaky biochemical virus scare we faced on Mars? Didn't you find yourself falling for that Electra girl?" After a pause, Spike awkwardly confirmed.

"I wouldn't call it _falling_," he said. " We seemed to have some weird connection. Like we had a lot in common. But she was in love with Vincent… and I had Julia." He smiled a faint smile. Jet put down his second tree, deciding not to mention that at the time Julia had been nowhere to be found.

"Don't let me influence you too much, Spike, but you seem to have some things in common with Faye, too."

"Yeah? Like what?" Spike asked skeptically.

"Well, for one thing, you're both stubborn as all hell." Spike chuckled.

"Point taken," he said. "Anything else?" Jet looked at Spike.

"You're both in denial." At the mention of this, Spike's smirk slowly faded. He didn't want to have any feelings for Faye, but he knew he did.

_Shit,_ Spike thought helplessly. Deeply exhaling, Spike stood.

"See ya, Spike," Jet said.

"Later," Spike replied. Walking to the door, he turned to face his shiny companion. Jet looked up at him, expecting another exchange. Spike smiled and gave a slight nod of his head, expressing gratitude. Jet nodded back, satisfied. Then Spike turned and left the room. Jet watched as he left, and chuckled to himself. _Stubborn, but a good guy,_ he thought. Just then, the woman in question walked up to Jet's door.

"Hey," she said casually. Jet looked at her, adorned in her fluffy white terrycloth robe and a towel wrapped around her hair.

"Hello, Faye," he said, looking her over, trying not to let his face reveal what he knew.

"What?" she said indignantly. "I had to take a shower."

"Hey, ya don't have to tell me twice," he said, regaining his composure and turning his focus back to his plants. Faye smiled, swiping away a strand of hair that fell over her eye.

"Ciao," she said casually, and left the threshold. Jet sighed and selected another plant from the shelf.


	8. Thrown For A Loop

Ed danced around the living space the next day as Ein sat curled comfortably on the couch. Faye drowsily shuffled into the room and headed for the food. Her stomach grumbled as she reached into the cupboard, pulling out a cup of instant ramen. As she sat down, the little girl bombarded her with attention. "Faye-Faye!

"Has Spike been slipping you anti- depressants?" Faye asked sarcastically.

"Heehee! No!" Ed replied. She laughed again.

"What's so funny?" Faye asked.

"Edward knows all!" the girl sang mystically.

"Oh, really?" inquired Faye. "What exactly is it that you know so much about?"

"Spike-person and Faye-Faye… in looooove!" the child announced excitedly.

"Who told you that?" Faye said angrily.

"Ein," was the girl's simple reply. Faye didn't doubt the child, she seemed truthful enough, and Ein _was_ a smart dog. Instead, she growled into her ramen.

"Too bad that damn dog's not big enough to make a fur coat out of! Maybe a shrug…" she furiously soliloquized, slurping her noodles.

Spike wandered the halls, meandering through the bowels of the Bebop; something he liked to do when business was slow. He enjoyed the rare occasions when he would pass by and find something he hadn't seen before. Today, not being one of those days, he spent the time thinking about Faye and Julia. Nearing the more familiar and occupied corridors, he came down the stairs and plopped down on the couch behind where Ed sat on the floor, and across from where Faye ate her ramen. "Hellooooo, Spikey!" Ed sang, standing and picking up her computer.

"Ed," he greeted informally. Ed turned to Ein.

"Come on, Ein. Let's leave the love birds alone!" she loudly whispered to the dog. Ein whined as he sluggishly stood up to follow her out. Faye stood and growled at the poor dog and stomped heavily in his direction, frightening him into speed. Ein whined as he scuttled away.

"Mutt," she sighed as she sat back down.

"Geez, don't take it out on him," Spike said in an attempt to calm her.

"I hate that dog," she mumbled.

"Me too," Spike agreed, barely moving, save for the smile of amusement that formed on his lips. He watched Faye beginning to perch uneasily from a sideways glance as he reclined in wide legged comfort. After a long pause, Faye spoke.

"It's going to be awkward with us from now on, isn't it?" She grew weary of the silence between them.

"If you let it," Spike coolly replied. Faye softly exhaled and tried to sit comfortably.

"You know, Ed says we're in love," chuckled Faye, trying to make light of the situation.

"Yeah, she told me all about it," he replied, already thinking of it as light.

"She says Ein told her. Heh!" Faye scoffed.

"Ya know, they say that dogs have a keen sense of intuition," said Spike, curious of how she might respond.

"Really? Do they say it's accurate?" Faye countered. Spike's smile grew by degrees. He had been presented with a challenge. The two of them sat in silence for a short time, Spike amused by Faye's effort to not shift nervously. Casually standing, Spike made his way across the room. Stopping behind Faye, he nonchalantly repossessed the chopsticks she was eating with. "Hey," Faye shouted in annoyed confusion. He reached the sticks into her cup of instant ramen and took a large bite, as if the food was his own.

"Mmm," he hummed, chewing in her ear. "Good stuff," he said, placing the chopsticks back into her container. Uneventfully he slouched away. He knew this would annoy her profusely, or at least irk her, which was just what he wanted. It amused Spike when Faye was annoyed, and he had a feeling her annoyance with him had a direct correlation with her desire for him. Faye glared at him as he left, her gem stone eyes burning holes through his navy blazer. When he was gone, Faye released a heavy sigh and laid her head onto the back of the sofa. As she reclined there, Jet entered the room and sat at the table, placing on it one of his projects. Faye turned to him.

"Jet! Spike's teasing me!" she whined. The cyborg looked over at her, hardly believing what he was hearing.

"So what do you want me to do about it?" he asked indignantly. "You _are_ a grown woman; I thought you'd be able to take matters into your own hands." Faye stood and stepped over to the table.

"It's not that kind of teasing," she told him, taking a seat.

"Oh?" Jet inquired. "Then just what kind is it?" In reality, he had a pretty good idea of what Faye meant, but for some reason he wanted her to talk. Jet had a secret passion for being the shoulder to cry on.

"Well," she began, "he – we kind of – um…" Faye looked at Jet, who's face remained unchanged. "… He told you, didn't he?" Jet shot her an affirmative look. "I knew it… damn it!" she shouted, banging her fist onto the table with surprising strength. Jet kept quiet, but watched her outrage in bewilderment. As Faye calmed down, she leaned back and folded her arms over her chest crossly.

"Faye, there's only four people on this ship," Jet said.

"What? You're telling me it was inevitable?" Faye said angrily.

"That too," Jet reasoned with a grin, "but how can you expect to keep a secret from half the population? Especially since you never said it _was_ a secret?" Faye looked at him, unwillingly comprehending. "I mean, take Spike, for instance. You can't keep a secret from Spike. He has ways of finding you out. And I wouldn't trust Ed with a secret if someone paid me. On the other hand, Spike's like a vault when it comes to keeping secrets. Other than the Red Dragons syndicate, there's not much else we know about him. With Ed… you're just out of luck." Faye absorbed what Jet was saying.

"I just wish he'd stop taunting me the way he does," she said after a pause. Jet let his steely eyes travel her face sympathetically. As they fell to rest on a lock of hair that curved ever so slightly toward her tinted lips, they gave way to another change of expression.

"And I wish I could help you out," he sighed matter-of-factly. Faye watched as Jet unsympathetically returned to his project.


	9. A Solution

Spike reached into the fridge and found a shiny apple to snack on. He strolled back to his quarters, all the way tossing the apple up and catching it in his hand. Plopping down on his messy bed, he took a bite of the juicy, green fruit, looking at the ceiling. _Faye wants me so bad I can feel it, _he thought to himself. _She's just hiding it, and not too well, I might add._ Spike's arrogant train of thought led him to something else. _Why do I care so much if she wants me? ... other than the fact that it's so damn hilarious… This _is_ Faye we're talking about here. Annoying, boisterous, scheming, obnoxious… cute, funny, irresistible Faye. _Spike thought about the sex they'd had the day before; how invigorating it was to have sex after such a long hiatus. He remembered how her skin felt, how her body moved, how she tasted when he kissed her, how she made him climax. Truthfully he had enjoyed every second of it; every second of her. _Maybe I am falling for her. Maybe… I want her._ Spike released a heavy sigh. Thoughts of Faye were beginning to annoy him. Even more irritating was the fact that he could hardly remember anything particularly fascinating about Julia. _Oh great,_ he thought. _Now I can't get her out of my head. _

Aggravated with her conversation with Jet, Faye plopped down onto the couch again. Ed cartwheeled and neatly landed on the coffee table facing the bounty huntress. "Faye-Faye!" she exclaimed, grinning at the woman.

"Ugh, I'm not in the mood right now, Ed," Faye replied, flopping onto the back of the sofa.

"Faye," Jet called. "You've got to stop moping around like this. If you love the bastard, then why don't you do something about it?" Faye slowly turned and looked at him with a countenance of sourness on her face.

"… Love?" she repeated. "What makes you think that's what it is?"

"If this is bothering you so much, it's probably not merely a physical attraction. Besides, that's what Ed said," Jet smiled jestingly, glancing over at Ed. The girl giggled, her perpetually blushed cheeks seeming even redder. Faye leered at the beaming carrot head. She stood up slowly, walking around the strange kid.

"Fine" she growled slinking off to the stairs.

"'At a girl!" Jet smiled.

"Yeah, yeah…" Faye mumbled, stomping upwards.

Instead of going straight to Spike's door, Faye decided to take a walk around the Bebop. _Why am I doing this again?_ She wondered._ Ok, so I do have feelings for Spike._ She looked at her white boots as they shuffled along the corridors. _I'm not sure if he'd even go for me, though. What about Julia? Dead, but not forgotten. Just what does she have that I don't, huh? _Faye remembered the sex she and Spike had; about how quiet he'd been the entire time. She remembered how he'd paused when she spoke his name. Vaguely remembering the chance meeting she'd had with the woman a year or so ago, she shuddered at the thought of Julia's name crossing his lips instead of hers. _He was probably thinking about her the whole time. _Faye took a deep sigh. _Not exactly the best quality to find in a man._ Gradually her mind came to wander away from Julia. Faye dwelled on how Spike had made her feel that day, how he'd practically gone out of his way to seduce and provoke her, how much he made her ache for him. Slowly wandering the halls, she barely realized when she'd made it all the way back to where his door was. She stared at the door, wondering how she was going to talk to Spike about this. _Well, here goes nothing_, she thought as she lifted a fist to knock.

Spike was roused from his daydreaming when he heard a faint, metallic _tap tap tap_ on his door. Blinking rapidly, he called "Whaddaya want?" Without a word, the door timidly creaked open and a head of deep violet hair peeped in. "I didn't say 'come in', but since it's you and not an axe murderer…" Spike said smartly, lying comfortably on his bed, his feet reclined and his hands folded neatly over his stomach, a lit cigarette fitting snugly between his fingers. Faye gritted on him with a bitter smirk.

"It's nice to see you too, Spike," she replied with bite, stepping inside.

"I could have been naked; then again, you'd have liked that, wouldn't you, Faye?" Spike teased.

"You bastard," said Faye, her smirk growing into a seductive smile. "It seems like you can never get enough of saying my name," she mused. "It's a shame you can't do it during sex." Spike winced at the remark. He resettled his head, looking at the wall perpendicular to his rusty eyes.

"I expect you came in here for a reason?" he asked her, glancing a sideways glance at her. Faye said nothing, but otherwise implied that her answer was yes. "So…" he said. "Fire away." Casually, she stepped away from the door.

"Well, Spike," she began. "I think we need to have a little… chat." Spike raised an eyebrow at the woman. This was unlike her, however he kept in mind that she was really the only one on the Bebop who seemed slightly disturbed about the two of them having had sex. Or was she? He wondered if she was so disturbed how she could make such a cutting comment on the subject just moments ago.

"Okay," he replied slowly, propping himself up on his elbows. Faye stepped a little closer.

"Spike, I think I might have something I want to get off my chest." Spike internally grinned, thinking of a certain sexual play on words.

"You want me, don't you?" he said before she could speak, only half joking. Faye grew indignant.

"Is that what you think this is?" she growled.

"Yeah, it is," the thin man replied, casually taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Wow," Faye said in a furious shock. "You really are a jerk. This is all just some big power trip to you, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't quite call it that," Spike stated questioningly. "It's more like a… ego trip." Spike flashed Faye that irritating smirk.

"Oh, is that all?" Faye asked crossly. "I don't even know which is worse." Spike thought that perhaps he'd made Faye a little too angry even for him, and he smiled in the resolution that he'd decided to quit aggravating her. Why it took him such a short time to relent, he wasn't sure. Sitting up, he swung to plant his feet on the floor. Seeing his smile angered Faye even more. "What are you smirking about, you asshole? This isn't funny!" she fumed. Gazing up at her, Spike took one last puff of his cigarette before extinguishing it in his ashtray, already filled with butts. He breathed out the smoke nonchalantly. Appearing to be ignoring her for a second, he made Faye tense her muscles with outrage. "Why are you ignoring me like this, Spike? How could you be so insensitive and inconsiderate!"

"Faye," Spike attempted to interrupt, but Faye continued on her tirade.

"To think I ever had the _inkling_ that I just might be in _love_ with you-"

"Faye," his heart jumped at the mention of the "L" word,

"-is completely beyond me right now! You disgust me!"

"Faye," She stood in front of him, just within his reach.

"Spike. Should be Thorn. You've been a thorn in my side ever since I first met you-"

"Faye!" he called, reaching out to hold her hand.

"What? Don't touch me!" she shouted, slapping him soundly. His upper body leaned to the side, a sharp twinge of pain traveled through his long limbs.

"Ow, stop it, Faye!" he almost shouted at the rampaging woman. He looked up into Faye's jeweled green eyes, holding his stinging face.

"You are the most selfish, greedy, arrogant, pig-headed, lazy-"

"Faye!" She was interrupted by Spike's long fingers, harshly cupping over her crimson lips. He stood, his other hand firmly bracing the small of her back. Faye's brows furrowed as the eyes beneath them burned into his. "I thought we were having a chat," he said, toning down the sarcasm in his voice. Slowly he removed his hand from her mouth, as if he were afraid she'd bite him. He was actually surprised that she didn't. "May I speak now?" he asked gently. Faye said nothing, only glared at him. The hand that was over Faye's mouth was now resting on her shoulder. "You know," he began, "You really gotta stop slapping me like that," he said easily, tilting his mouth into a half smile.

"Well, stop making me mad!" Faye shouted. Spike flinched at her voice; he couldn't be sure if it would follow with more physical punishment. When nothing happened, he continued.

"And another thing," he said.

"What?" Faye barked.

"The angrier you get…" his eyes traveled her stoic face. "… the more beautiful you get." Faye's cross expression gradually faded. Slowly blinking, Spike hovered his lips near hers, not quite kissing her, hoping she wouldn't pull away. Faye stood still.

"So, you only love me when I'm angry?" she asked in a skeptical tone, a harsh smirk crossing her lips.

"No," Spike replied frankly. His intonation implied he had more to say, but he said no more. Faye's expression returned to neutral. Her temper melted away. "That's just the only time I'll have sex with you," he joked after a long pause. A gentle smile illuminated Faye's face. It was the one time his humor hadn't caused her to glare at him in targeted anger. He stepped a bit closer to her, sliding his arm around her waist. Faye closed her eyes, feeling his warm breath brush across her cheek. Feeling his body heat and smelling his masculine fragrance mixed with cigarettes, Faye lifted her eyes up toward his; she stopped just short of his lips. She wasn't sure if she was still angry with him or not. Sensing the curves of her body against his, Spike met her the rest of the way.


	10. Getting Soft

The kiss was the most gentle and intimate kiss that Faye could have ever imagined, especially coming from a hard, tough Spike. She absorbed the feel of his surprisingly luscious lips as they pressed against hers, the movement of his tongue sending chills down her spine. Her blood ran hot with passion as Spike gently ran a hand up under the back of her top. She eased her fingertips up to his shoulders. As they caressed each other, Faye's mind began to swim. _This is so strange,_ she thought. _I do want Spike, but why is he acting so different? Not that it's bad or anything. _Her mind and her slender hands wandered about his appealing physique. _This side of him is actually kind of refreshing._

Slowly, their lips separated. Spike slouched to touch his forehead to hers, his deep forest hair mashing upon itself. With his lips free, he spoke.

"I was serious about the sex part."

"Hm?" Faye replied.

"You're not angry anymore, so…"

"Hmhmhmhm," Faye laughed, her berry lips parting to bare beautifully dangerous teeth. "I don't believe that for a second, Spike Spiegel," she said.

"What? You're not getting any," Spike told her casually, harvesting a genuine smile on his lips. Faye laughed again.

"Trying to make me angry or something?" Faye asked teasingly. Spike nodded, his head still against hers. "Well, it isn't working," she smirked.

"Damn," mumbled Spike sarcastically. "Oh well… I guess I'll just have to make an exception," he sighed, feigning disappointment. He slowly moved his lips along her cheek. As Spike moved even closer, Faye could feel his excitement increasing in size and firmness.

"Oh, you'll get over it," Faye whispered to him.

"I hope so," Spike replied, gently pulling her toward his bed. Faye kissed him tenderly as he moved her. As their lips danced, Spike thought that perhaps he was ready for love. Their last romp had seemed indecent and taboo, although still thoroughly enjoyable for him. This time… this time there was much contrast. _Faye._ Spike thought about the sound of her name. It sounded so perfect. A quiet moan escaped his throat and buzzed between their lips as Faye ran a sultry finger along his spine. His yellow shirt did little to prevent the trail of goosebumps that followed it. After intensifying the kiss, Spike pulled away and hugged her to him, resting his chin on her head. "Does this seem familiar to you, Faye?" he inquired with a sarcastic twinge in his voice.

'"A little, except for the fact that we're still fully clothed," she answered. Spike chuckled. This was true. Standing entangled in each other's arms centimeters away from Spike's bed, he asked her another question.

"Faye?"

"Mmm?" she moaned drowsily, listening to his heart beat in his chest.

"How'd you like it?" he asked, his voice even deeper and more alluring. Faye looked up at him, entrancing him with those sparkling emeralds. "The first time we did it. Was it good for you?" He tried to make his voice drip with a gentle sexuality.

"It was great," Faye chuckled sensually. "I just expected a little more from you though."

"Ouch," Spike said. "That one really hurt." He playfully furrowed his brow. "That hurt more than when you smacked me just now." Faye laughed at him again. "Wow," he reiterated. Faye looked up and saw how red and inflamed Spike's cheek still was. She was amused, and in a way, excited. It wasn't every day she would get to hear Spike's voice so much. She had no idea he could be so pleasant! She quietly listened to his dreamy ramblings. "Didn't quite do it for you last time, did it, Faye?" Spike asked.

"Oh Spike, it did, trust me," Faye smiled. "Lemme rephrase that," she chortled, snuggling closer to him for dramatic effect. "I expected…_ different_ from you."

"Oh. Well, that makes it less painful," he answered, his low voice grumbling into her hair. "Well maybe I'll raise the bar for you a bit," he said, sitting down, determined to change her opinion. As he descended, his hand glissed from her shoulder, down her feminine arm and into her hand. As she motioned to straddle his lap, he nimbly twirled her around and sat her on his leg. Faye tried her best to stifle her girlish giggles as she gracefully landed in his lap. Kissing her, he slowly lowered her down onto her back.

"Mmm…" Faye commented on the sensuality of his touch. Rolling on top of her, Spike straddled her, standing on his knees. Slowly unzipping his pants, he realized that the last time, he cared very little about Faye's pleasure, but now he wanted it to be all for her. It had been an eternity since he'd had this kind of attitude. _God, she's beautiful,_ Spike's mind began its monologue. _Why didn't I fall for her sooner?_ He thought. _Oh, that's right… Julia._ Spike couldn't help but want to kick himself for trying to hold onto his lost angel for so long. He wasn't even sure if he still was. He just knew that what little feelings for her he had left were quickly being replaced. Hovering over Faye, he carefully uncovered her lower body. _She couldn't hold a candle to Faye, _he grinned internally. He smiled lightly at the fact that he would never be able to verbalize that opinion to Faye. He'd learned the hard way about how much a woman hates to be compared with others, even if it is to emphasize how she was much better. Faye recaptured his full attention as she quickly unbuttoned his yellow shirt. As he motioned to remove it, Faye gave his thin, dark tie a tug, stopping him. She shook her head decisively. Spike grinned naughtily as she reeled him in for another kiss.


	11. Milky Way

Downstairs, Jet was preparing dinner. Ed eagerly watched as he added more and more vegetables to the wok. "Food smells good, smells good, smells good! Food smells good today!" Ed sang and marched around the kitchen. Ein sat and watched patiently, on a stool that put him at eye level with the stove. His little wet tongue dangled from his mouth as he sniffed the air and licked over his moist nose with it. Adding spices to the pan, Jet admired his work, a little more than his usual bell peppers and beef. Bell peppers, sugar snap peas, onions, asparagus and some of the beef that Spike bought lent their fragrances to the atmosphere. _Twenty more minutes should do the trick,_ Jet thought. As Ein barked with glee, the bald man chuckled at him. "Patience, Ein," he told the corgi.

"Uhh… ohh… nhh… ahhh…" Faye whispered into the air on short breaths. Spike watched her nude body as he softly and rhythmically penetrated her. He was quiet still, only because he enjoyed hearing her sultry voice. He tried to calm his breathing as well, so he could hear her over it. "Uhhh, Spike…" she verbalized. Spike felt compelled to push deeper each time she spoke his name. Wanting a change in position, Spike gently turned Faye onto her right side. Lifting her left leg onto his shoulder, he entered her in this sideways position. The new way in which Faye's flesh engulfed him was just intense enough to make Spike erupt with sound.

"Ohhh…" His heavy breathing crescendoed steadily until his shout burst forward. His jaw stretched open as he breathed hard between verbalizations. "Ohh… uhh…" he growled from his diaphragm. He pulled Faye's slender, beautiful leg close to him, shoving himself deeper inside of her. Faye clenched her fist around a section of Spike's bed sheets.

"Spike…" her speech slurred, increased in volume. "Uhh, Spike!" Infatuated with the way he made her feel, Spike pressed on, accelerating his speed. He felt for the way he filled her, trying to decipher her exact contours. Fortunately doing so heightened his pleasure even more.

"Ohh… oh god… uh, **_Faye_**…" Continuing to thrust, Spike was somewhat startled by the sound of her name crossing his lips in such a context, but he didn't mind the sound of it at all. "Faye," he said again. His eyes closed as his face pointed up toward the ceiling. His mouth gaped open, in awe of the ecstasy that enraptured him. "Faye," he shouted a third time, louder than the first two. "Faye!" yet again, driving into her with much increased force. He gasped for air; a strong orgasm was about to occur, but he didn't want to do it without Faye.

"Ohh… oh yes…" Faye huffed. Urgently wanting her to climax when he did, Spike wondered what he could do to selfishly rush her along. Aggressively, he rubbed her sensitive clitoris against his penile shaft as it thrusted in and out. Not only did it feel great to him, it also made Faye even more riled up. "Uhh... Spike… yes…" she pieced out between breaths. Spike pushed her harder.

"Uhh... nnnh… nnrgh…" Spike was reduced to uttering indecipherable syllables to express his pleasure. He unfortunately ended up beating Faye to the climax, but he desperately wanted to witness hers. Spike bit down on his fist with strong teeth, putting the level of his endurance to the ultimate test; fighting the debilitating currents of pleasure flashing through every nerve in his frame, he pushed himself to continue serving Faye. He held his breath, quivering and trembling, but didn't stop grinding into her. Finally, he felt the long awaited sensation of Faye closing in on him.

"Oh my god… Spike!" she shouted.

When Faye's orgasm came, it was a powerful climax indeed. As Spike felt her come, he felt very accomplished. He let his tensed muscles relax and felt the remains of his extended orgasmic sensations as he collapsed beside her. For a moment, he regretted having kept his shirt on, now impossibly wrinkled and damp with perspiration. Faye twitched with pleasure as she breathed hard. Tears of extreme physical pleasure fell from the corners of her eyes and rolled into her royal tresses. The couple lay side by side, panting to recover from their earth-shattering eruptions.


	12. Dinner And A Show

In the kitchen, Jet was a bit dismayed as he removed the overcooked vegetables from the stove. He poked a piece of asparagus with a fork; it was as limp and lifeless as a ramen noodle. "Hey, Edward," he called. Ed ran up to him from the living space, her bare feet clapping on the floor as she came. She grinned at Jet when she reached him.

"Yeeeeees?" She sang.

"Go get Spike and Faye for dinner, will ya? I don't want them to miss it again," he requested.

"Okey-dokey, Papa Jet!" she rang, and grabbed two pots and a wooden spoon. Jet rolled his eyes at her harebrained method as he chuckled to himself.

Spike lay peacefully next to Faye on his bed, facing her admirably. Faye was awake, but her eyes were closed, as she absorbed the feeling of Spike slowly and tenderly massaging between her legs. "Hmm. Now _that's_ what I was expecting from you, Spike Spiegel," she chuckled sensually. "For a while though, I was beginning to wonder what it would take for me to get you to say my name," she joked with him. Spike paused his speech. Having in mind a potentially inflammatory remark, he quickly thought of something else to say.

"It felt pretty good, too… saying your name. Made it even more incredible," he replied candidly. Faye smiled, her eyes still closed.

"So, I'm incredible, huh?" she said, nuzzling her head closer to him.

"You're incredible, Faye," said Spike, exhaling a breath of her sweet scent.

"That's always a good thing to hear," she smirked.

"Don't get too used to it," grinned Spike, with restored wit.

"Mm," she hummed absently, in response to both his snide comment and the continuing movement of his fingers. Spike grinned and moved his nose to the side of her raven head, inhaling the fragrant scent of her shampoo. Faye softly glided a finger along his jaw. Her fingertips lightly massaged his scalp and intertwined with the unruly mop of forest green waves, reminding Spike of a good reason to have stuck with the shirt.

Just then, the couple was startled by an unbearably loud **_clang! clang! clang!_** echoing the halls.

"It's dinner time! It's dinner time! Spike-person, Faye-Faye, Papa Jet, Ein and even Edward!" the girl sang merrily through the corridors. "Time to eat your vegetables!" she roared like an Ed monster. Spike's already exhausted muscles tensed as Faye's heart pounded from shock.

"Shit!" Spike moaned, calming himself from Ed's ridiculously raucous start. "That damn kid," he growled. "She could wake up the entire galaxy if only she tried hard enough."

"Tell me about it," Faye grumbled, rolling into a fetal position toward him.

"_Spike and Faye! Faye and Spike!  
Who feels hungry? Faye and Spike!" _

The child cheered, standing right outside of Spike's door, clanging her pot drum with her spoon mallet, wearing her stylish pot helmet. Spike hugged Faye to him, squeezing his eyes shut.

"_Faye and Spike! Spike and Faye!  
Eat your veggies all away!"_

She continued.

"Ed!" Spike shouted through the door, violently shooting upright. "I'll give you my next bounty if you **_please_** stop making that god-awful noise!"

"Only if you come out and eat your din-din!" Ed shouted back.

"Fine!" he yelled. "Give us a minute!"

"Okey-dokey! Ed will be waiting!" Satisfied, Edward returned to the kitchen to get her serving of overcooked vegetables.

It was another ten minutes before Ed's ears heard Spike descending the iron stairs, followed by a slightly grumpy Faye. "You finally made it!" the girl shouted gleefully, a slice of red bell pepper drooping from her fingertips.

"Where have you guys been?" asked Jet, just then realizing that may have been an inappropriate question.

"Upstairs," Spike replied coolly. "Where else?" Jet sighed, relieved by the lack of description. Spike made his way into the kitchen to fix himself a plate. As he scooped up the food, he realized how soggy the vegetables were. He prepared a rather large serving, in spite of its appearance. Coming back in to where the rest sat, Spike took a seat on the couch. "Wow, Jet. It still looks like shit, but for once it doesn't taste like it," Spike commented.

"Woo-hoo," Jet replied unenthusiastically. "I deserve a medal." Spike looked over at Faye, resting on the opposite end of the couch. "Not hungry, Faye?" Jet inquired, noticing her lack of appetite as well.

"It may look like crap, but really it's not that bad," Spike 'helpfully' informed, smiling. Jet glared at his younger partner, who shrugged in response.

"Eat up, Faye-Faye!" Ed encouraged her.

"Oh alright," Faye replied finally. "I'm not gonna let myself starve. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Oh. Did I wear you out, Faye? Perhaps I am a bit much…" Spike said egotistically.

"Shut up, Spike," Faye replied with a smirk, laying her head on her arm.

"Spike!" Jet interjected. "There's a kid in the room!" Spike looked around and noticed Ed, seemingly absent from the conversation, merrily nibbling her veggies, feeding a piece or two to Ein.

"Apologies, Ed," he said with mock sincerity, not thinking Ed was hearing him.

"It's nothing, Spike-person!" she sang over her shoulder. Spike looked at her, surprised. Ignoring the incident, Jet showed his concern.

"You sure you're not hungry, Faye?"

"I'm hungry, I'm just feeling a little lethargic," Faye answered him. "I'll eat if someone gets me some food," she resolved, giving a sideways glance at Spike. Spike, not looking up from his plate, casually stated,

"You heard the woman, Jet," chewing on a slightly burnt chunk of beef.

"Yeah, but you didn't see her," Jet replied. Spike looked up to see the eyes of both Jet and Faye, pressuring him to make a move. Defeated, Spike slumped off the couch and slouched into the kitchen.

"Hope this doesn't become a habit," he complained. "I'm no butler. I thought that's what Ed was for."

"Hey!" Ed shouted indignantly.

With Spike out of the room, Jet and Faye chatted informally. "Well, you two seem to be getting along better than usual," Jet observed.

"Yeah," she replied. "I was finally able to scrape through that tough-guy exterior." She made a clawing action with her hand.

"You mean there's something under that?" Jet joked.

"I know, hard to believe, isn't it?" Faye laughed. Just then, Spike returned with a plate of luke-warm food for Faye.

"Shall I feed it to you, your majesty?" he asked snidely, regally presenting her with the dish. Faye flashed him a seductive smile.

"Well, since you offered…"

"Nevermind; I'm rescinding it," he said, waiting for her to take the food. She took it, paying him little mind. As he retook his seat at the end of the couch and finished eating, Faye sighed to herself. _The sweet, romantic Spike was fun while he lasted,_ she thought._ Can't count on him sticking around forever. Oh well._ A smile came to her face as she somehow knew that she'd be able to count on a special guest appearance every once in a while.


	13. Lazy Revolutions

Later on, after food was eaten by all, Faye seemed to have spread her lethargy throughout the entire crew. Spike sloppily leaned into the corner of the couch, his long legs sprawled in every which direction (his most comfortable reclining position) an arm on the side of the couch, with a cigarette at it's length. Taking a slow drag, he looked down into his lap, where Faye's head rested. Looking around the room, Spike saw no traces of Jet or Ed, who had both retreated to their quarters for some much needed rest. He threw his head back, exhaling a puff of smoke. For a moment, he closed his eyes, listening to his own breath. As he stared at the lethargic ceiling fan propelling his harmful smoke, he felt Faye shift. She lay curled into a ball by his side. He looked at her again, thinking how cute she was as wisps of her raven violet hair dangled over her eyelids. _I think I just found another thing that makes her so gorgeous,_ he thought as he watched her sleep. He reached down to brush the hair from her face back behind her ear.

As Spike sat, peacefully stroking the beauty's hair, he was startled by a voice. "Aww, how cute!" Jet murmured to him, creeping down the stairs. Spike threw his hand behind his head.

"Isn't it past your bedtime, old man?" he asked snippishly.

"I just came down to check up on you crazy kids," he replied dryly. "So, Faye was right; there _is_ something warm and fuzzy underneath that bad-ass exterior." Spike raised his hands in forfeit.

"Ya caught me," he answered. The men moved softly and spoke in hushed voices, so as not to wake the sleeping woman. Jet carefully sat across from the couple.

"You guys an item now?" he asked bluntly.

"An item?" Spike never really thought about that. Ever since Julia, he had held every woman at arm's length. He chuckled to himself. "I dunno about that," he replied. Faye snuggled herself onto Spike's leg, her rest disturbed by his laughter. The two bounty hunters looked at the stirring woman with suspense; Jet seemed about ready to bolt if she awoke. Fortunately, Spike's easy breathing lulled her back to peace.

"You don't know?" Jet asked, even quieter. "How do you think she'd take it if you told her you were 'friends with benefits'?" Spike took another drag from his cigarette, shrugging his shoulders carefully. The hand that stroked Faye's hair came to rest on her ribcage. "You might as well be an item," Jet continued. "You both have quite a bit in common; it's not hard to see the desire between you two, either." Spike blew some smoke as his eyes widened.

"Desire?" he asked, more than aware of the denial he was expressing.

"Did I stutter?" Jet retorted. Spike turned away, contemplatively. "You've already had sex with the girl. Twice!"

"Wha…" Spike began defensively. Jet shot him an all-knowing glance, and Spike was still.

"When it rains, it pours," he said philosophically. Spike rolled his molasses eyes. Jet stood and stretched his arms out. Scratching his vacant scalp, he looked at the young lovers.

"Just give in, Spike. It'll get to you if you don't."

Spike sat in silence as Jet returned to his quarters. He finished off his cigarette, chewing over the words of wisdom. _Damn,_ he thought. _I've been wrong a hell of a lot more than he has. _He exhaled the last breath of nicotine-filled smoke._ Why would he be wrong now all of a sudden?_ His heart beat faster just thinking about the fact that he might be able to have a relationship like he once had, no, a relationship much better. No secrecy, no jealousy… Faye would be his… just his. But then his mind began to flood with worry and fear, two emotions he would fiercely deny ever feeling. _What if I fall for Faye so hard, like I fell for Julia, only to see her leave me… to see her die? There are a lot of things I can live through, but I don't think I could go through that again. _He furrowed his brows thinking of the pain his fallen angel had left him in. Looking at Faye, his expression brightened. Faye would be different. He had felt the strength in her emotions ever since she invited herself aboard the Bebop. Julia had been coy enough to seduce him, but she'd always seemed emotionally dead. She'd toyed with him, it seemed, stringing him along until her contradictions got the better of her. Tossing the thought of Julia out of one ear, Spike gently stroked Faye's soft hair._ Then again, it won't be easy to get rid of Faye. She's pretty strong. _A faint smile grew on his face. _She's already seen me die once… _

Fin.


End file.
